Appleâs Mac range of computers are, literally, the hot technology of the day with shipments of some 13.5 million portable MacBooks Pro and 4.65 million Mac minis and iMacs in the most recent quarter.Compare this with the longest decline in PC sales history and you can see what I mean. But Macâs are physically hot, too, sometimes. How to completely uninstall an app on a mac.
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Too often people upgrade only to find their problems begin, or persist.
Apps For Mac
If you need help with a slow Mac running a Mac operating system, please be prepared to answer these questions, or find out how to get the answer to these questions.
Etrecheck, a software written by one of our fellow contributors, is a software that has been useful in isolating many of the issues below:
Look at these troubleshooting steps. Find
1. If MacKeeper was installed, and if it is, remove it with the instructions in this tip: Sims 4 app mac.
2. If any other system cache cleaner is installed. If there is, contact the vendor on how to remove it.
3. If the possibility your hard drive is over 85% full exists.
4. If Spotlight hasn't finished indexing. (does not apply to 10.3.9 or earlier). Clicking on the icon in the upper right that looks like:
(it may have a different color), will reveal if Spotlight is indexing, or is ready to search. Going to Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Spotlight -> Privacy will show if a specific folder or drive is ignored by your last Spotlight index.
5. If you are attempting to multitask with a Time Machine backup going on. (does not apply to 10.4.11 or earlier)
6. If permissions are damaged. Often a problem when using pre-2006 Classic environment on PowerPC Macs. See #10 how to identify Macs.
7. If third party software or drivers hasn't been tested with your installed operating system.
8. If You migrated data from a different Mac CPU type. I.e. from PowerPC to Intel, or Intel to PowerPC. See 10 on how to identify Macs.
9. If energy saver isn't giving some peripheral problems, because the peripheral doesn't understand low power mode.
10. If the possibility exists that there is marginal hardware on
Intel Macs or PowerPC Macs
Use: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6413 to determine if you have PowerPC or Intel.
11. If you have had 4 language screens forcing you to restart your Mac, that's significant, and indicates what is known as a kernel panic.
Usually an issue relating to the hardware, though sometimes a directory may be damaged, or sometimes a bad or incompatible driver is installed.
Running the hardware test for Intel Macs or PowerPC Macs
will indicate if some RAM is bad, but not all RAM. Any errors found with it are significant.
12. If you don't have a current system, find out if a website you are visiting needs a newer plugin for Java, Flash, etc.(10.7.2 or earlier do not run a current Java. 10.6.7 or earlier do not run a current Flash. But updating to those is only necessary for a few websites. Alternative to itunes for mac. Check before updating to ensure you don't make yourself incompatible in other ways). Before updating to 10.7 or later, be sure to read this tip about compatibility first: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
13. If your data is backed up from before or after the upgrade, and we can isolate other issues. Without a backup, we can't say if the solution might be worse than the problem.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1992 - tells you how to backup a functional system.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1689 - tells you how to recover a system that is not functional or able to boot so at least other issues can be
isolated.
14. Slowdown to internet applications may be due to third party router firmware not being up to date, too many machines using the router, an insecure router not using WPA2 connectivity (802.11b original Apple Airport can't use it, and it is better to get a WiFi ethernet bridge with at least 802.11g), proxy servers, and bad DNS issues which http://www.opendns.org/ can resolve. Additional WiFi related issues are documented on this tip:
15. A bad iTunes install, or one that isn't properly updated for the system may cause slow down. If you are trying to isolate that as a possibility, note the path to the iTunes Helper which is loaded in your System Preferences -> Accounts (Users and Groups in some versions of Mac OS X), Login Items (startup items in other versions of Mac OS X)
Google news mac app.
/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources
You can use the Finder's Go to Folder command in the Go menu to reload that program after removing it from your Login Items and troubleshooting the situation.
16. Peer2peer sharing software, torrent software, both make your machine into a software server. This can slowdown your overall internet. Do not get software from such sources, as most are illegal. If you have trouble finding software for your operating system, visit http://www.roaringapps.com/ if using Mac OS X 10.7 or later, or ask on this board where to find software that is legal that does what you need.
17. If your Mac is backed up, then's the time to see if a directory repair is necessary:
18. Often times, you will see the system slowdown and get a spinning color circle indicating it is busy. After a certain amount of time, if you can risk losing the data that has not been saved on the application, force quitting the application with command-option-escape key sequence is a possibility.
If command-option-escape does not work, it may indicate one of the aforementioned issues is happening. Command and Option keys may look like some variation of:
On non-Apple keyboards the Windows key usually takes the place of the Command key, and the Alt key usually the Option key. Though Microsoft has made a patch for its keyboards that forces the two keys to switch their assigned Apple keystroke, since they are in reverse orientation of the Apple keyboard. The Escape key is typically just labelled ESC.
19. You may not experience any of the above issues with games or high end graphics applications. The graphics processor unit (GPU) recommended by the developer should be the one you have installed on your computer. Any others, and speed may be an issue with those programs. It is not to be confused with RAM or your CPU.
20. Migrating data from PowerPC Macs. See first #10 to see if you had a PowerPC Mac you were migrating from. If you did, you may have brought over some drivers the Intel Mac does not understand in the Migration or Setup Assistant. If there is a chance this may have happened, you should see this tip on migration which avoids the issue:
21. Notifications can slow Mac OS X 10.9 down. Go to Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Notifications to disable those notifications you don't need.
22. iCloud syncing (in 10.7.2 and later) can slow things down. Manage iCloud through the System Preferences to ensure syncing only happens when you need it. iSync in Mac OS X 10.6 and earlier can also slow things down when you don't need it.
Macs are sleek and slick computers that can run well for years after you take them out of the box. Like all other computers, though, your Mac is not immune to slowdowns, bugs, and other problems, and itâs up to you to keep your machine happy, healthy, and safe. Use the eight tips listed below to keep your Mac running like a well-oiled machine for years after first use.
Best App To Keep Mac FastBackup your data regularlyEven Macs can crash, run into hard drive problems, or contend with other issues that could put your data at risk. Making it a habit to backup your data every week or two can save you the heartbreak of having something go wrong and losing a slew of files that you canât salvage from anywhere else. A full Time Machine backup is one option, and is probably the easiest way to clone your entire hard drive for easy restoring later on. You can also just drag and drop files and folders over to an external hard driveâa good idea for those who are also backing up files that no longer fit on their Macâor use an online cloud-based service.Cut down on utilities and services that run in the backgroundHow many utilities or tasks do you have running in the background on your Mac right now? Printers, Bluetooth, home file sharing networks, cloud-based services, other applications that send data to the internet: all of these items will run in the background of your machine, more or less at all times, and can monopolize RAM and slow down your computer. To know which tasks are running in the background, look to the upper right corner of your screen and see how many icons are lined up in the top navigation bar alongside your battery and Wi-Fi icons. The more you have, the more likely that those utilities are the culprit behind your computerâs sluggishness.Install anti-malware softwareEvery Mac user has heard the myth about Macs not being vulnerable to viruses and other types of malware. But itâs just that: a myth. The amount of malware that targets the OS X operating system is growing as Mac computers become more and more popular. Downloading some good anti-virus or anti-malware softwareâto scan your computer for infection and block future threatsâcan help you avoid becoming a victim of this growing scourge of malicious software.Clean out your old filesThis one is more or less just common sense, especially if you are using a smaller or slimmer Mac laptop without much hard drive space. Regularly cleaning out old filesâphotos, videos, mp3 files, word documents, etc.âcan help to preserve hard drive space and keep your computer running smoothly. You should have a minimum of 10% of your disk space free at all times, and probably more if you can spare it. So, if you have a 500 gigabyte hard drive, you should leave 50GB free for best performance. For those with very full drives, a regular cleaningâand perhaps a backup of old files to an external hard driveâis essential. For everyone else, itâs just a good idea to keep your machine from becoming too cluttered.Run Disk UtilityAll Macs come with the Disk Utility program included. You can find it in your Utilities folder, which is itself stowed away in the Applications folder. Opening up the utility and running it four or five times a year is a good way to make sure that your hard disk is healthy and fully functional. The Disk Utility includes two basic functions. The first, used for repairing disk permissions, can be run right there in the app, once you open it from the Utilities folder. The second function, used for repairing the disk itself, can only be run in recovery mode, which you can access by holding down the Command and R keys as you boot up your computer. In recovery mode, you can boot into a recovery partition of your disk, from which you can run Disk Utility on your normal boot disk. This method is used to handle a corrupt hard disk or other errors, and is a must if you think there is an issue with your hard drive.Keep your desktop cleanSome Mac users love keeping all of their most frequently used apps, folders, or documents on their desktop, but believe it or not, this habit can actually make your Mac slow and sluggish. The Mac needs to contribute RAM to display each icon on your desktop, so the more cluttered your desktop is, the less computing resources your machine has to use on other tasks. So keep your apps in your Applications folder, and file your other stuff away into folders. Itâs okay to have a few folders on the desktop, but as a general rule, clutter should be avoided for the best performance.Update software (but maybe not right away)Apple, as well as the third-party developers behind your apps, updates software fairly frequently, and usually you will be alerted when there is an app or OS X update waiting to be installed on your machine. In order to keep your Mac best equipped to handle vulnerabilities and avoid bugs, updating your software frequently is a must. With that said, from time to time, Apple and other developers will release software updates that have huge unforeseen bugs or usability issues of their own, so you might want to wait a few days (and perhaps even read some articles or blog posts online) to learn whether or not the latest update to OS X or your favorite app is going to cause more headaches than it resolves. Luckily, most developersâApple includedâwill usually rush to fix any issues with their latest software updates, so waiting a few days might help you avoid any issue altogether.Shut down your apps when you arenât using themThe dock is one of the coolest things about having a Mac, allowing you to see the programs you have open in an attractive and easily accessible way. Unfortunately, closing programs using the red X button will often not actually shut the program off. As a result, you might be running programs such as iTunes, Microsoft Word, or even your web browser when you arenât using themâwhich can use up RAM and CPU, heat up your machine, and cause slowdowns elsewhere. To see which apps you have open, click the Apple menu at the top left corner of the screen and select âForce Quit.â From there, you can shut down apps you arenât using and preserve the resources theyâre hogging.As you can see, there are many different ways to take care of your Mac and keep it running well as time goes on. The eight tips presented above are simply among the most universal fixes and maintenance techniques that can take a slow, sluggish, and thoroughly bogged down machine and restore it to the zippy computer you once knew. Filed under Computer Security News, Advisories, Blog and Reviews for Everything Apple & Mac Security OS X, Mac OS X, Mac TipsComments are closed.
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